Ex-athlete says schools teach how to win; not how to live

UT-San Antonio student Alex Payne played two years of high school football and might consider coaching high school football, but he contends the state of Texas is shortchanging student athletes.

Students who compete in high school sports get little information about nutrition, wellness or health, he told the State Board of Education. Football players learn how to play and how to win but learn little else, he complained.

Anyone who gets injured goes to the trainer for treatment.

“I would have loved to know what I did, how to prevent it and what would be the long term impact on my health,” Payne, 21, told the board about an ankle injury. “I do know my ankle clicks when I walk. No one ever talked about injury prevention.”

Students who take physical education classes learn more than student athletes, he said.

“They seemed to be inundated with new heat equipment. They talked about how long they had to stay in the ‘target heart zone’ and about graphing the results for a grade and keeping a journal about their personal fitness goals,” he told the board. “They learned lots of lifetime activities and their classes seemed less focused on who was the fastest – and more on who was the best prepared to take care of their own wellness.”

High school students should learn the importance of physical fitness, he emphasized.

“Please make it so we learn it in school. Infomercials just don’t cut it, and twitter is just a fad,” he asked the board. “Please expect high school athletic classes to provide more than uniforms, pep rallies and long practices. Please expect these classes also to provide quality information about health and wellness as well as goal setting and skills in conflict resolution, empathy and cooperation.”

Board members seemed to agree with the college student but had not action item on their agenda.